


Little Rascals

by Karasuno Volleygays (ToBeOrNotToBeAGryffindor)



Series: Sportsfest 2018 [109]
Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: Established Relationship, Future Fic, Haunted House, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-07
Updated: 2018-10-07
Packaged: 2019-07-27 17:41:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16224074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToBeOrNotToBeAGryffindor/pseuds/Karasuno%20Volleygays
Summary: A trip through a haunted house turned up a lost little girl and a lot of thoughts about the future.





	Little Rascals

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Untitled](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/422660) by kerrie13. 



> This was written for Sportsfest 2018 remix round.

The smell of fried food and popcorn permeated the air of the carnival, and Fuji inhaled it deeply. It had always been one of his favorite places, soaked in the laughter of happy children and cheerful music playing around every corner.

“It’s a lovely night,” Yukimura said next to him, eyes closing while he took in the unseasonable warmth of the mid-September evening. Fuji was inclined to agree.

They peeled off from their perusal of the park to investigate the various food booths. Fuji came away with a caramel apple and spicy soba noodles he had the cook season until it burned his nose to inhale the vapor from the broth; Yukimura struck gold with a shioyaki stand.

After their meal, they strolled hand in hand through the rest of the carnival, taking in the sights and sounds and occasionally indulging in a ride or two. Toward the end of their tour, Fuji spied one attraction he had been hoping to see, and he couldn’t help but smile. 

“Seiichi, that looks fun, doesn’t it?” He pointed in the direction of the haunted house. “I don’t think I’ve been in a haunted house since middle school.”

Yukimura hummed and nodded. “I’ve never been in one. Genichirou always swore the ghosts were real, but Renji thought it was probably due to sugar making him paranoid because he usually never eats sweet stuff.”

“His loss, Fuji replied, punctuating his point by taking a bite out of the remnants of his apple. At the mental image of tall, stolid Sanada balking at people in silly costumes, Fuji chuckled. “Next time, let’s invite them. It sounds like quite an experience.”

Yukimura chortled. “Genichirou seems like he’s allergic to fun, and Renji usually ends up people-watching instead of amusing himself like a regular person would do.”

“I know one or two people like that.” Fuji grinned at the thought of his old teammates, parted ways since moving on after school and to their respective futures. Looking over at the one remnant of school life he had chosen to keep by him, he said, “Do you want to go?”

With a soft smile, Yukimura nodded. “Of course.”

They bought tickets to the haunted house and walked into it hand in hand. As far as horror shows went, Fuji thought this one was more quality than not. He appreciated the small water fountain in the center of the entryway that ran red rather than clear, as well as a coppery scent in the air that mimicked the smell of blood fairly well.

He looked over at Yukimura, rapt as he took it all in. Everything added to the atmosphere, from the peeling wallpaper with hints of ominous messages mostly-showing on the walls behind to the eerie glow of the low lighting.

Here and there, someone in a spooky costume would lunge out at them from a darkened alcove in the wall. They both feigned shock and horror because it was part of the game, but here and there, he would squeeze Yukimura’s hand or Yukimura would squeeze his. However, it was difficult to be too nervous when the person beside him was an island of calm.

Halfway through the house, though, Fuji caught the sound of a cry that didn’t quite belong in with the shrieks and deathly wails echoing through the rest of the place. Stopping mid-stride, Fuji murmured, “Do you hear that?”

Yukimura closed his eyes, and Fuji reckoned he heard it, too, when he opened them and exchanged a concerned look with Fuji. “I think someone might be lost.”

Sharing a nod of agreement, the two of them set off in search of the source of distress. They found it quickly in the next room in the form of a little girl, no more than four or five years old, cowering in a corner while shielding her face from a clown dripping blood. Even Fuji had to admit that it was horrible to look at.

He knelt down next to the little girl and smiled at her. “Are you scared?” She didn’t look up, but she nodded in the affirmative. Fuji sighed in sympathy. “Would you like help getting out of here?”

She looked up at him finally, her face tear-soaked and contorted with fear, and squeaked out a soft, “Yes please.”

Fuji held out a hand for her to take, which she accepted. “My name is Shuusuke.” When they were both on their feet, he gestured over at Yukimura, who had moved to eclipse the sight of the murderous clown. “This is Seiichi.”

Yukimura held out a hand in kind, and the two of them flanked their tiny charge. “Now close your eyes,” Yukimura murmured, his voice sweet in a way Fuji had always liked to hear from time to time. “We’ll lead you out of here, so you don’t have to look at anything you don’t want to.”

The terror already leaching from her body, the girl nodded. “I’m Rinko.”

“Well, Rinko-chan, until we find your parents, you’ll have two big brothers to scare away all the ghosts, all right?” Yukimura squeezed her hand gently, and Fuji remembered all over again why his former rival had caught his attention. He had a hard streak a mile wide, but the worst of it was always tempered by kindness when it needed to be.

Slowly, they led Rinko from the fun house, the perils hanging from the walls and ceiling passing unnoticed this time around, and once they were clear of the exit and a ways away from the building, Fuji instructed Rinko to open her eyes.

“See, that wasn’t so bad.” Fuji smiled at her sigh of relief, and they held hands all the way to the information booth to have Rinko’s parents paged.

They didn’t have far to search, with Rinko taking off at a run once a harried-looking couple came into view. The couple embraced their little girl, the mother crying tears of relief and the father looking up at them from his knees, pure gratitude on his face.

The father approached them both and held out a hand. “Thank you for bringing her here. We were about to call the police.”

Fuji shook the man’s hand and nodded. “Of course. She was in the haunted house hiding from a clown.” His lips slid into a frown. “How did she get in there?”

“I don’t know.” Rinko’s father shook his head, not pleased by the prospect either. “All I know is that my wife headed off for the restroom, and I looked away for a second and she was gone.”

Yukimura hummed. “No doubt she decided she wanted to go with her mother and went into the first building she thought was a bathroom. I ended up in the ladies room more than once as a kid until I learned to read signs.”

That hypothesis and the safe return of his daughter seemed to satisfy the man, so he bowed and went back to his family. Also satisfied with the resolution, Fuji took Yukimura’s hand in his once again and said, “Do you want to go back?”

Staring after the small family as they disappeared into the crowd, Yukimura didn’t answer Fuji’s question. He didn’t speak again until he offered a completely different train of thought altogether. “I think I want to have kids, Shuusuke. They do seem like a lot of fun.”

Surprised by the rapid turn in the conversation, Fuji hummed in thought. “Well, Eiji always seemed happy to have a lot of siblings. I’ve had my ups and downs with family, but all in all we get along all right. I would imagine it’s more difficult to mind children than be around them, I can see them being rewarding in themselves.”

Yukimura raised a brow. “So you don’t mind the idea?”

Fuji shrugged. “Probably not now. According to my sister, all men are supposed to be idiots until at least thirty. We’re about a decade away from that.”

“She’s probably not wrong.” Yukimura watched a large family herd by them and chuckled. “But we’re sensible people, you and I. I think that buys us five years or so to the positive.”

“I think you’re right.” Fuji tugged Yukimura back into motion to scout out some drinks, but the previous train of thought lingered. 

Yukimura wanted a family, a desire he had shared with Fuji so freely. Even though they were both on the verge of a mere twenty years of age, Fuji had learned that his brush with death at fifteen had changed a lot about how Yukimura saw the world. 

One of those observations was what had drawn Fuji to him in the first place during their stint on the U-17 team, which was that one couldn’t wait on life forever and risk missing something great.

That thought prevailed as he listed over and pecked a kiss on Yukimura’s cheek. “When we’re ready, I’d like that very much.”

“I’m happy to hear it.” Yukimura linked his elbow with Fuji’s, and they wandered back into the crowd a little bit closer than before.


End file.
